HRC Blog

The Fight for Marriage in Maryland Continues

Today, after a thorough and heartfelt debate on the floor of the Maryland State House of Delegates and after thousands of volunteer and staff hours put into the fight for marriage equality, the Maryland House of Delegates recommitted the Civil Marriage Protection Act to committee, putting a legislative vote on hold for the time being, but the fight is not over.

In the coming months we will continue our work with our legislative allies, Equality Maryland, Freedom to Marry, Gill Action and others, to build more support for this historic bill. Winning marriage equality in Maryland will remain a top priority for the Human Rights Campaign.

We have thousands of members here in Maryland who have made calls, have knocked on doors and have talked to friends, family, and their legislators about equality. And we will continue to do so. Our staff and I have worked across the state alongside our allies at Equality Maryland and other groups to gain support not only for marriage equality but also for protections based on gender identity. We’ll continue to work with them to ensure that the residents of Maryland, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender residents, are treated equally.

We thank the Maryland LGBT Legislative Caucus, the House Leadership and Governor O’Malley. Their strong leadership and personal dedication to building support for equality has put Maryland at the forefront of the fight for equality.

We will continue on the path toward equality for all in the Free State. HRC, along with our allies Equality Maryland, Freedom to Marry and Gill Action released the following joint statement:

“Already this year we have made tremendous progress toward winning the freedom to marry for same-sex couples in Maryland. Successful votes in the full Senate and House committee show there is a strong and growing movement toward the freedom to marry. Over the past several days it has become clear that additional time to continue the marriage conversation in the state will better position the Civil Marriage Protection Act for success. By taking a bit more time, the majority of Marylanders who support the freedom to marry in the state will have the opportunity to have their voices heard by their legislators.

“We are thankful to the leadership for taking these steps to ensure that all Maryland families will be respected at the earliest possible date. We remain optimistic that very soon all Maryland families will be treated equally under the law. We thank Governor Martin O’Malley, House Speaker Michael Busch, Majority Leader Kumar Barve, and the Maryland LGBT Legislative Caucus for their tireless efforts.”